Sue Sturgis

Sue joined the Institute in November 2005 as director of Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch, a project to document and investigate the post-Katrina recovery. A former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina, Sue directs and writes for the Institute's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She was the first journalist to be awarded the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters' Catalyst Award for her commitment to educating the public about important environmental issues.

Sue has authored or co-authored numerous Institute reports, including "Life After BP" (2011), "Faith in the Gulf" (2008), "Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement" (2008) and "Blueprint for Gulf Renewal" (2007). Her work has also appeared in other publications including The American Prospect, The Progressive, and Salon. Sue holds a master's degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's in social work from Penn State.

Articles by Sue

February 22, 2007 -
Imagine living near an open-air pool containing thousands of gallons of hog excrement, the acrid stench from which is so overwhelming that it leads to chronic burning eyes, coughs, sore throats and diarrhea. Then imagine that the noxious stuff is sprayed on fields near your home, where it soaks into the water table and contaminates your drinking well.

February 15, 2007 -
A coalition of environmentally concerned investors is targeting 10 companies that it's identified as lagging behind industry peers in responding to climate change -- and half of them are South-based energy giants.

February 15, 2007 -
Former CIA contractor David Passaro was sentenced yesterday in a North Carolina courtroom to eight years in prison for the torture of an Afghan detainee who later died. He was the first U.S. citizen charged and convicted of detainee abuse during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and the first charged under the USA Patriot Act, which extended U.S. prosecutors' reach to foreign soil.

February 12, 2007 -
After years of dwindling membership, the Ku Klux Klan is on the rise again by successfully exploiting the highly charged issue of immigration, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League titled "Extremism in America."

February 8, 2007 -
"OUR servants meet in OUR House. They decide how to spend OUR taxes. But their decisions have been corrupted. Rich corporations pay to play in our House. We can't match their money, but with God's Grace and your hard work, we can sure out-number them!"

February 6, 2007 -
Global warming is happening. It's caused by human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. And its consequences are severe and unavoidable.
At this point, the best humankind can hope for is to stave off the worst-case scenario while preparing for the changes already underway.